Don't Forget Him

Devotion for the week...

I hope 2024 is off to a good start for you, and that the year continues to bring good things your way.

We always wish prosperity, health, and joy for our friends and family, and those wishes are especially prominent at the beginning of anything - a new year, a marriage, the birth of a child, a new job, or a move to a new home. Oddly enough, though, the Bible contains a pretty strong warning about the dangers of living with ease. 

In Deuteronomy 6, Moses spoke to the people of Israel before they entered the Promised Land, saying, "The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant" (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). The fields were already cleared for planting, the houses were move-in ready, fresh water was readily available. Life was about to get so much easier!

But then Moses continued, "When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. You must fear the Lord your God and serve him" (vv. 11-13). Moses knew, and more importantly God knows, the tendency of people to cling to God when times are rough, and then let go when times are easy. Despite the thousands of years since Moses spoke his warning, people are no different today.

It's easy enough to understand why we cling to God when times are rough. During those times we are constantly aware that we are not capable on our own. We see how much we need Him to sustain us, to strengthen our spirits, and to provide for us.

When things get easy, though, we don't have that constant reminder of our dependence on Him. We start to forget that He's the one providing every good thing, "Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens" (James 1:17); that even the breath in our lungs comes from Him, "He himself gives life and breath to everything" (Acts 17:25); and that without Him we can't do a thing, "For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Instead, we start to feel a sense of 'I got this!' We stop leaning on Him, because we mistakenly feel like we're standing just fine all on our own.

Because He knew what could happen, Moses reminded the Israelites not to forget God even before they entered the Promised Land. We need that reminder just as much today.

Through all the good that is hopefully coming our way in 2024, and beyond, may we always remember how completely we depend on God. May we lean on Him in the good times just as much as we do in the hard times, and may we serve Him through it all.